Something Next to Normal
by Scarpaw
Summary: Magnus had broken up with Alec, Jace had heavenly fire coursing through his veins, and there was a war drumming at their doorstep. Still, they had something next to normal. Post City of Lost Souls


This came about as a result of me procrastinating from homework, NaNoWriMo writing, and the fact that my university campus had no wifi all weekend. I wanted to try my hand at writing Alec post-break up, and some family fluff wound up in there.

Also, just to clarify- this is _not_ Jalec; I did my best to make that pretty clear with descriptions, but I still want to throw that out there._  
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Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: The Mortal Instruments belong to Cassandra Clare, not I**

_**Something Next to Normal**_

_Magnus had broken up with Alec, Jace had heavenly fire coursing through his veins, and there was a war drumming at their doorstep. Still, they had something next to normal._

Alec was miserable.

This, of course, was nothing really all that new. He had been miserable ever since Magnus broke up with him. That was exactly four and a half days ago. Not that he was counting. Alec wasn't counting. There was no reason for him to be counting.

Alec had been suffocating under the pitying looks from Jace and Isabelle, and hadn't wanted to face anything either of his parents might have to say about his situation, so Alec had fastidiously been avoiding his family. For the first two days Alec had holed himself up in his bedroom, distinctly disconnected from everything around him, but it hadn't taken long for Jace and Isabelle to simply resort to breaking into his room and dragging Alec out to do something, whether it was to get his ass handed to him in the training room or to get him to eat. After that, Alec had taken to secluding himself to other parts of the Institute.

The liquor cabinet had been unlocked and no one had been around, so when Alec had passed through he had snatched a bottle from one of the shelves at random. You were supposed to be able to handle things better when you were drunk, weren't you? Well, even if you didn't, Alec welcomed the numbness it brought him. The current place he was hiding away in was the greenhouse. Nobody would think to look for Alec up there because of his allergies. Not that anybody _would_ be looking for him. Everyone surely had better things to be doing than worrying about him.

Speaking of allergies, the thought stirred in Alec's head through the thick alcoholic haze, nudging him and telling him that his neck was itchy. He had started breaking out in hives, and while Alec had been mostly ignoring it, he was suddenly reminded that his neck was painfully burning with the need to scratch it. One hand came up and scratched his neck, while the other raised the bottle of alcohol to his lips, taking a swig. It hurt to swallow; part of it was because of the alcohol, and the other part was probably because his throat had started to swell shut. Alec should probably do something about that, but he couldn't find it in him to move. He had spent more than enough time wallowing in self-pity already; so much so that he had probably exceeded his allotted time for the month, let alone the day.

Alec took another drink from the bottle. The pain that came with swallowing sent Alec coughing, causing more pain. Wheezing, Alec collapsed back against the tree he had located in the greenhouse, liquid in the bottle sloshing about. He had drank enough of the bottle that the contents didn't splash out of it; it slid up the sides like a tidal wave before collapsing back in on itself.

"You know," a wry voice echoed from above Alec, "there's something to say about drinking alone." If Alec had been able to muster up enough energy, he would have rolled his eyes, maybe thrown in a scowl. As it was, he simply tilted his head back, staring up at his _parabatai_, idly scratching the side of his neck.

"Leave me alone," Alec wheezed, forcing the words out through his tight throat. He coughed, muffling it in his elbow, before raising the bottle back up for a drink. His throat was dry. Alec missed his mouth the first time and before he could make a second attempt, Jace's hands were there- one taking the bottle from him, and the other on his shoulder, like Alec might fight back. Not that he would, but still. Jace plugged the bottle with his thumb, frowning as he shook it. There was somewhere between a third and a quarter of a bottle left. Closer to a quarter, really.

It had been full when Alec had taken it from the cabinet.

Jace set the bottle to the side, plopping down on the ground next to Alec. Alec steadfastly looked anywhere but Jace. He continued to scratch at his neck until Jace smacked his hand, more chastising than anything, telling him to stop that. Alec removed his hand from his neck and moved it to instead scratch at the hives breaking out along his wrist. Jace sighed, and reached over, grabbing Alec's wrist, stopping him mid-motion.

"Stop doing this," Jace repeated, his other hand turning Alec's free hand over, revealing the hives, and angry red marks from where Alec had attempted to alleviate the itch before. Jace let go of his hands, reaching over and touching his fingers to Alec's neck. He jerked back, pain igniting under his _parabatai's_ touch. Jace pulled his hand back, fingers bloody. Alec had dug his neck open. "You're hurting yourself."

"I'm fine," Alec tried to mumble, but only succeeded in gagging. He felt extremely light-headed, and was faintly aware of the rapid movement of his chest as he tried to go through the motions of breathing. Black spots danced around Alec's vision as his throat closed in on him; a bright flare of pain along his neck and the smell of burning flesh reached his nose before his throat opened up. Alec gasped, air flooding his lungs, and his vision tunneled at the sudden intake of oxygen. His sight went completely black, and he felt himself lurching forward, head pounding.

Before he could fall completely over, hands were at his shoulders, pushing him back into a sitting position. He could feel the end of a stele digging into his right shoulder, and when the black obscuring Alec's sight receded, Jace was in front of him, stele still in his hand. Jace was frowning again.

"I ought to yell at you," Jace finally said after a moment, "but first we should get out of the greenhouse."

"I'm," Alec started to say, pausing to swallow; his mouth was terribly dry, and his throat felt inflamed.

"Fine?" Jace finished for Alec, quirking an eyebrow. "Alec, I'm not sure if you realize this, but _you stopped breathing._" Jace's hands moved down until they were gripping Alec's arms, and hauled Alec to his feet. Spots swam his vision once more at the movement, and Alec swayed as he tried to blink them away. "Seriously, why did you come up here? You know you're allergic to stuff up here."

"It's quiet," Alec said, feeling as though he had swallowed glass with each word that he forced out. He took a stumbling step forward, brushing off Jace's hand. Alec spied the alcohol bottle still on the ground, and gave consideration to picking it up, but abandoned that thought. Even if he grabbed the bottle, Jace wouldn't let him keep it. His _parabatai_ was an asshole like that. "Figured no one would look for me here."

Alec started stumbling for the staircase, and Jace followed softly at his heel. That wasn't normal; it should be Alec following on Jace's heel, not the other way around. Alec stumbled to a stop when his throat closed on him once more as he came to the realization that nothing was normal anymore. Jace had heavenly fire coursing through his veins; Sebastian was turning Shadowhunters into his own personal army with the Infernal Cup; they were standing on the doorstep of a war; Magnus had broken-

A strangled choking noise came from Alec's throat. Jace gave Alec a concerned glance, stele rolling in his hand. Alec leaned heavily against the railing that led back downstairs. Tears formed in Alec's eyes, and he did his best not to cry. He raised his hand to scratch his neck, but he had barely placed his hands down to scratch before Jace had taken a hold of his hand.

Jace shifted his grip on Alec's hand, lacing their fingers together, and shuffled past Alec. "Come on," He said, surprisingly soft, "Let's go downstairs." And without waiting for Alec's response, Jace led him down the stairs slowly, as if their roles were reversed, and Jace was the older sibling leading Alec, the younger sibling, through the dark when it should have been the other way around.

He tripped over his feet as they hit the landing, but caught himself, and stumbled blindly after Jace. Alec didn't know where his _parabatai_ was leading him, but was trusting as he followed him. The halls of the Institute drunkenly swirled around Alec, dizzying him, until he lost track of where they were. When the world finally stopped spinning enough for Alec to actually take in his surroundings, Alec was in his bedroom, sitting on the bed.

Jace was there too, Alec belatedly noticed, slightly surprised that his _parabatai_ hadn't just escorted him back to his room and then left him. He turned toward Alec, an eyebrow raised, a strange expression on his face. He had his cellphone held up to his ear, talking with someone.

"Yeah, no, I found him." Jace was saying. "No, he was still in the Institute. Up in the greenhouse." Jace paused. "That was my first thought too; he was completely blitzed when I found him though. There wasn't much left in the bottle that he had." Alec wasn't completely certain who Jace was talking to, or why anyone had been concerned with finding him, but he still felt the urge to put in his two cents.

"I am _not_ completely blitzed," He protested, and Jace glanced over to Alec, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Jace moved the phone slightly away from his mouth and told Alec,

"I'll believe that when you stop slurring all your words together." He turned his attention back to the phone. "What was that? No, sorry, I was talking with our resident alcoholic. No, I haven't yet. I figured it was pointless seeing as he won't remember any of it anyways, being drunk and all. I was going to put him to bed and just do that all in the morning."

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here," Alec flopped over onto his side, curling his feet up onto the bed. He still had his boots on, but he didn't really care about dirtying the comforter. The world swam nauseatingly at his movement, and he closed his eyes to try and stave off the nausea. "I _am_ here." His throat burned and his neck and wrist still itched, but not as maddeningly so as before.

"That's my cue to go." Jace informed the other side of his phone call. "I'll talk to you later." Alec heard the snap of Jace's phone shutting. "Come on Alec," Jace appeared, shaking his shoulder lightly. "You need to get your shoes off."

Alec groaned and didn't open his eyes. Jace sighed when Alec made no effort to move. He mumbled something under his breath, and then he was pulling at the laces of Alec's boots, yanking them off none too gently. Alec heard the thumps as his boots landed on the floor. Then Jace was shaking him again. Alec opened his eyes a fraction, moaning as light flooded his vision, burning his retinas. He covered his eyes with his hands, a dull pounding beginning at the back of his skull. "_What._"

"Move over," Jace ordered, and scowled when Alec barely moved over an inch. "Fine, be like that." There was a click as Jace flicked the switch on the bedside lamp, plunging the bedroom into darkness. Then there was weight pressing down on Alec's legs, and he opened his eyes, blinking in the darkness in time to see Jace climb over him and drop down in bed beside him.

"Jace?" Alec asked, and received a fist to the chest.

"Shut up and go to sleep." Jace said, closing his eyes and rolling on his side. Alec closed his eyes, and it wasn't long before he fell asleep, lulled by the combination of the alcohol in his system and the soft sound of Jace breathing next to him.

* * *

><p>"Jace," Isabelle knocked on his door. "Wake up! Mom says breakfast is ready." No sound came from the bedroom and Isabelle frowned. That wasn't normal; usually Jace was up and about already, puttering around in his room. She knocked again.<p>

"Jace!" She tried louder. There was a possibility he was still asleep, however rare that might be. "Wake up!" Still, it yielded no results, and Isabelle sighed, trying the door knob. It turned, letting her in.

Peering in her adoptive-brother's bedroom, Isabelle found it empty and in its usual pristine condition. Figured. Jace was probably down in the training room or somewhere. Shutting the door, Isabelle headed over to Alec's room. She could get Jace later. Or, better yet, she could send _Alec_ to get Jace while she was on time for breakfast. It would serve him right, for disappearing last night like that.

"Alec!" Isabelle yelled, knocking louder than necessary on her brother's door. "Wake up! Breakfast!" There was no immediate sound from the interior of her brother's bedroom, but Isabelle didn't bother knocking a second time; she just threw open the door.

And she was immensely pleased with the sight that greeted her.

Tangled on the bed together was the sight of Jace and Alec. One of Alec's arms was hanging off of the bed, while the other was draped across Jace's face. Likewise, Jace had a leg hooked around Alec's ankle and from her vantage point Isabelle could spy a formidable puddle of drool by Jace's mouth. And _he_ made fun of Clary for drooling. Jace had an arm thrown across Alec's waist, and both boys were snoring with abandon. Isabelle resisted the urge to snicker as she pulled out her phone; it was too good of an opportunity.

She snapped a picture, grinning. Her phone set off a flash as it took the picture, and made a loud shutter sound. The noise and the flash apparently did what Isabelle herself could not, and succeeded in waking the two boys. One of them said, "Wuzzat?" while the other moaned.

"Izzy?" Jace yawned, sitting up, blinking drowsily. All drowsiness vanished however, as soon as he spied the phone in Isabelle's hands. His voice took on a distinctly different tone. "Izzy, you _did not_-" But she did, and he realized it too.

"Isabelle!" Jace lunged off of the bed toward his sister, tripping over Alec on his way. Isabelle shrieked as she turned and ran.

"Get back here!" Jace howled, chasing after Isabelle, feet thumping loudly against the floor, following Isabelle's shrieking laughter. Alec moaned once more, before he rolled off the bed, headed toward the bathroom.

Things might not have been normal, but they did have something pretty close.


End file.
